This Is All For You (Don't Want to Hide the Truth)
by Confidential Brunette
Summary: Team Arrow deals with the aftermath.
1. Chapter 1

**This takes place right after the finale, when Oliver, Felicity and Diggle are still on the island.**

**Enjoy and don't forget to leave a review:)**

* * *

"You ready?" Oliver asked, as Diggle and Felicity strapped themselves with the belt, both nodding their heads in unison as Oliver switched on the engine of the plane.

Taking a deep breath, Felicity held on to her tablet tightly, her knuckles almost turning white due to the effort. Glancing at her through the rear-view mirror, Oliver frowned slightly, looking at her anxious expression as she tried to take deep breaths.

"Hang on tight Felicity," he said as Diggle checked the controls, acting as co-pilot as he sat beside him, putting on the head-piece, "We're going to be in Starling City in a few hours."

Taking a another deep breath, she gave him a shaky smile, before slipping on her head-piece.

* * *

"I cannot believe I slept through that!" Felicity exclaimed as they walked down the stairs of the Foundry, "But I guess that's a good thing because I was already terrified and…" she trailed off, looking at the mess that had occurred and had yet to clean up.

"I'm going to clean this up," she announced as she placed her bag on the table, "And don't say not today Oliver," she warned him as he opened his mouth in protest, "If you need to get back Queen Consolidated, we need this place to be up and running."

He sighed as he sat down on one of the chairs, "How are we going to convince the board?" he asked, as he looked at her wearily, looking beyond tired as he hadn't been sleeping for the past few weeks, putting in all his time and effort in taking Slade down.

"You'll need your trust fund for the first few weeks, and hopefully get a few investors to re-invest in QC's Applied Sciences Division since we, you know, bombed the place down," she laughed nervously, "And hopefully once you've done that, you should be able to convince them."

"Sounds simple enough," Diggle spoke up, "But we're going to need to move quickly."

Oliver nodded his head, "I'll go the Starling National Bank and get you the access to my trust fund," he replied, "And you do realize that both you and Felicity are technically unemployed right?"

Diggle nodded his head, "I have some cash saved up, but I'll start hunting for a job starting tomorrow, I need to get back to Lyla."

"What did you want to tell me again?" Oliver asked, curious about the way his friend was trying to avoid the topic of his ex-wife, whom he had gotten back with.

Diggle looked at both of them, "Lyla's pregnant."

Both Oliver and Felicity froze, but Felicity was the first to snap out of it and hug him tightly, "I'm happy for you John, you deserve something good after all you've been through…after all we've been through and," she stopped suddenly, "It is your child right? Unless, it's not...then you have a right to be pissed and- "

"I'm the father Felicity," Diggle said, smiling at the way she rambled.

She breathed a sigh of relief, "That good," she said turning back to look at Oliver, who was smiling, something that she hadn't seen in a long time.

"I've not exactly been happy for the past few weeks Felicity," he said, and she winced, realizing that she had muttered the thought out loud.

She smiled as she saw the two men hug, they all deserved some sense of happiness or at least normality. Their lives had been screwed up and chaotic for the past few weeks and she needed a bottle of wine just to sort out her thoughts.

Her smile dimmed as she remembered the scene, when Oliver had taken her inside the mansion and told her that he loved her, only realizing a second later that it had all been a part of the plan to outsmart Slade Wilson. But he had said that they both sold it, and did that mean he had genuinely meant it? She sighed loudly, rubbing her forehead, a tell-tale sign of a migraine.

"What do you need me to do?" Oliver asked, looking around, Diggle had gone home and it was now only the two of them.

"I think we need food first, preferably ice-cream, definitely mint-chip, before we get this place back to order."

"Go home Felicity," he ordered, his voice soft, "You need to rest."

"What about you?" she challenged, " Are you going to stay here and brood?" she asked, teasing him.

He chuckled, "I'm just going to be here for the night, till I find a place to stay," he said nonchalantly, "The Queen Mansion is not what I need right now."

She suddenly remembered that Oliver didn't have a place to stay, and she felt sorry for him, having lost his family and understanding why he didn't want to go to a place that reminded him of them.

"You can sleep with me," she blurted out, eyes widening after she had said that sentence, "I mean, you can crash on my couch till you-"

"That's okay Felicity," he said, grasping her forearm gently, "I don't mind sleeping here."

"Come on Oliver, do you really want to be alone after everything we've all been through for the past few weeks? You deserve to be happy Oliver," she said quietly, placing her hand on top of his, that was still on her forearm, "You deserve happiness."

Holding his wrist with a firm grip, she switched off the lights of the Foundry and walked towards her red Mini, a comfortable silence in the air, as he walked alongside her.

* * *

"Make yourself comfortable, I'll get you some pillows and blankets," Felicity called out as she disappeared into what Oliver assumed to be her bedroom.

Taking off his jacket, he walked towards the numerous photo-frames placed on the shelf above the 36-inch flat screen plasma TV, noticing that all of them had Felicity with her friends-her life before she got involved with his.

"How about we set some ground rules?" Felicity asked, her arms laden with two pillows and dark maroon comforter. Dumping the comforter over his unsuspecting head, she giggled when she noticed his expression, handing him the two pillows with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

In that moment Oliver Queen realized that he would do whatever it took to make Felicity Smoak giggle like that again.

"Rule number one, no brooding," she ordered, as she made herself comfortable on the couch, keeping a respectable distance between them, "Rule number two, I get to pick the movie and Rule number three, no talking in the morning before I've had my coffee. Deal?" she asked, looking at him expectantly at him as she held out her hand.

Grinning, he shook her hand, both ignoring the spark that they felt, "Why can't I get to choose the movie?"

"Because I say so," she said promptly, laughing at the way he nodded his head in mock-resignation, "I have a tub of mint-chip in the freezer, all you have to do is get that and a couple of spoons," she said, as she pointed at the kitchen, "I'll pick the movie."

Removing Disney's Tangled from the DVD cover, she sat back on the couch, wrapping the thick blanket around herself, her plaid pajama bottoms and white tank top not keeping her arms from erupting with goose-bumps thanks to the cold air.

"Don't be a blanket hog Miss Smoak," Oliver muttered as he settled on the couch, handing her a spoon.

"You're already hot, you don't need a blanket," Felicity protested, and winced again, "I meant that you have a higher body temperature than me."

He grinned, something that looked suspiciously like Oliver Queen, millionaire play-boy to her, and her heart skipped a few beats.

"Maybe I just want to cuddle," he whispered and she froze. Oliver wondered if he had gone too far, but then, he relaxed as she placed a part of the blue blanket on his shoulders, and talked animatedly about the movie that was about to start.

Exactly half an hour into the movie, Felicity had fallen asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. He was still wide awake, and as much as he hated to admit, he was liking the movie so far. Looking down at the sleeping woman beside him, he wondered how she had so much power to make him see through a different viewpoint, how much strength she had to make him realize his mistakes and the amount of light she brought with her, from her unintentional babbling and bright lipsticks.

And that was how Diggle found them the next morning, when he let himself into Felicity's apartment with the key she had given him some time ago; two people, who were too stubborn to take the next step, sleeping peacefully. Felicity with her head on Oliver's shoulder and he resting his head against the back of the couch, both of them oblivious to the rest of the world around them, their fingers intertwined.

* * *

**Do you guys want me to continue this? Make it a full length story, or leave this as is?**

**Tell me your thoughts:)**

**Stay safe,**

**CB**


	2. Chapter 2

**I usually never upload this fast, so consider this a thank you gift for all you LOVELY people who reviewed! I never expected you guys to like it so much:)**

**Also, one reviewer, Phil-The-Psychic-Guy, said that Diggle should take a photographic evidence, thanks for the input, and i have incorporated it in the sory!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Diggle looked at the pair in barely concealed amusement, taking out his phone and quickly clicking a picture of the two, before he cleared his throat loudly.

Oliver woke up in an instant, looking around in confusion, before he noticed the still sleeping blonde in his arms.

"Care to explain Oliver?" Diggle asked, trying very hard not to smirk at the faint blush on his boss's cheekbones, while the other man scowled at him.

Running his hand through his hair, he looked at his friend in the eye, "Nothing happened Digg," he told him seriously, glancing down at Felicity who was sleeping with a small smile on her face. His expression softened, before gently waking her up, "Felicity…come on, wake up."

Snuggling further into him, her eyes still remain closed, as she mumbled a sleepy no. Exactly a second later, her head shot up, eyes wide as she looked at the two men before her, "Please tell me I didn't talk in my sleep."

Snorting in amusement, Diggle spoke up, "I suggest you start getting ready because Oliver, your lawyers have called and Felicity, you need to prep him."

Quickly scrambling to her feet, she shoved on her glasses, as she hurried towards the bedroom, "Digg, can you please start the coffee maker and ouch! I'm fine, never mind, and Oliver you need to have your CEO suit ready if you want to be a billionaire again!" her voice slightly muffled because of her closed bedroom door.

Groaning in frustration, Oliver slumped back against the couch, trying to figure out if he and Felicity would actually have a real chance to talk, before any Arrow or CEO business got in the way again.

Exactly half an hour later, Felicity emerged from her bedroom, hair still a bit damp from her shower as she left it open to dry, wearing bright yellow wedges to match her yellow shirt and grey skirt.

"Oh thank you Digg," she murmured gratefully as she took a large sip of the coffee that Diggle had handed her, feeling the effects of the caffeine kick in almost immediately. Decidedly a lot more awake, she asked, "So, where are we meeting your lawyer?"

"Lawyers actually," Digg corrected, taking a small sip of his own coffee, "There are six of them."

Felicity gaped, "Why in Google's name do you need six lawyers?" she asked, turning her attention back to Oliver, "Isn't one enough?"

"Personal, Financial, QC related, Trust Fund, Retirement, and Divorce," Oliver said, ticking each type off his finger, "We have different lawyers for different reasons," he finished, shrugging.

Felicity continued to gape at him, "And all six are coming to my apartment?"

Oliver looked at Digg for an answer, "I asked them to meet you in one of the conference rooms at Queen Consolidated," Digg answered, glancing at his watch, "In exactly one hour."

"Oh shit, Oliver, you need to change into your suit, the grey one, because you look nice in it-" she stopped after she had heard her own words, both Oliver and Diggle looking at her with raised eye-brows, "The more confidence you exude, the more likely they'll…oh you know what, just wear the damn suit okay?" she asked, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"I'll get the car ready," Diggle said, as he left the apartment, smiling at Felicity's frenzied behavior.

"Okay, we need the files of the board meetings of the past three months, the contract that Isabel signed making herself CEO, the stock market prices of QC's for the past one month-" she stopped midway, when Oliver placed both his hands on her shoulders, heat seeping through her bright shirt.

"Breathe Felicity," he said, his voice soft and firm at the same time, "The meeting will go fine. I'm more worried about your job than mine."

She felt the loss of contact when his hands pulled away, "Oliver, I highly think that anyone would hire an IT specialist turned EA, and you know I can't specify my reasons," she said, her tone light, "Besides, QC pays the best."

"I'm sorry, I know-"

"No apologizing Oliver, we've had this conversation before," she said, "Come on, we have to go. Digg's going to be waiting for us downstairs."

Nodding his head, he smiled at her, placing his hand over hers, "Thank you," he whispered, "For all this."

He didn't need to explain further, Felicity understanding as she tightened her grip, squeezing for a second longer that was necessary before she let go of his hand.

* * *

Handing him all the papers and files that were necessary, Felicity murmured a quick good luck as she and Diggle walked out of the conference room.

"He'll be okay Felicity," Diggle told her reassuringly, as she nervously bit her thumb nail, "We'll be okay."

She nodded her head forcing herself to get busy, only then realizing that she didn't have anything to do. The Foundry was still in a mess and it would take all their efforts to restore it back to a semblance of order. Letting out a resigned sigh, she unlocked her tablet, forcing herself to focus on the two-hundredth level of Candy Crush.

Two and a half hours later, Oliver emerged, shaking hands with all the men, before he walked towards them, sitting down opposite Felicity; Diggle sitting on her desk, his arms folded.

"Well?" Felicity demanded, "What did they say?" she asked, pushing her glasses up her nose impatiently.

He gave her a thin smile, "I get to keep the Queen mansion because it's registered under my great-grandfather's name ; only all the furniture is still mortgaged to Starling Bank."

"And what about the company?" Diggle asked, as he looked at his boss.

"I still own the majority stock because it's my name on the door, but the Board of Directors will have to decide if I'm fit enough to be a CEO," he said, grimacing at the thought.

"So where will you live?" Felicity asked, her voice quiet, "Not that I don't want you as roommate or anything, because I totally like waking up with you and…shutting up now in 3,2,1."

Oliver smiled at her briefly before he continued, "I was thinking if we could set up our make-shift lair at the Queen mansion," he said, looking at both of them, "No one's going to question us there, anyway."

Felicity brightened, "It's a fantastic idea actually," she said, and Diggle nodded his assent.

"So what now?" Felicity asked, "When will the board of directors call the meeting?" as she looked at Oliver, worry evident in her voice, "We'll have to prepare for that too and-"

"Let's tackle one thing at a time first," Oliver interrupted her, loosening his tie, smirking inwardly as he noticed Felicity trying not to stare, "Let's salvage what we can from the Foundry and set it up in one of the rooms of the mansion first."

He handed his tie over to Felicity, who rolled her eyes as she stuffed it in her purse; Diggle already leaving to get the car.

"Why did the divorce lawyer show up anyway?" Felicity asked as she picked up her tablet, "Kinda pointless isn't it? Him being here?"

Oliver shrugged as he helped her with her dark grey coat, "More of a standard protocol actually."

"Right," she muttered, pulling her curly hair from under the collar, "I don't think I'll ever figure out the ins and outs of the rich people lifestyle."

Chuckling quietly, he placed a hand on the small of her back, both of them walking towards the executive elevator in comfortable silence.

* * *

As they pulled up on the driveway of the Queen mansion, Felicity took a deep breath as Oliver helped her out of the car, remembering the last time the two of them had been here.

_"You need to stay here."_

_Felicity stared at him dumbfounded, "You can't just ask me to stay here!"_

_Oliver sighed, "I'm not asking. I will come and get you when this is all over."__  
_

_"No!" she exclaimed, utterly confused to what was going on and why Oliver was acting like this all of a sudden._

_Oliver sighed, "Felicityyyy..."_

_"Not unless you tell me why!" she exclaimed, needing answers. What the hell was going on?_

_"Because I need you to be safe."_

_"But I don't want to be safe. I wanna be with you and the others. Unsafe," she whispered as she stepped closer to him._

_"I can't let that happen."_

_"Oliver, you're not making any sense."_

_"Slade took Laurel because he wants to kill the woman I love."_

_"I know, so?"__  
_

_"So he took the wrong woman," Oliver whispered as he stared into her eyes. _

_Recognition dawned on Felicity's face, "Oh." She didn't know what else to say. __  
_

_Oliver stepped even closer to her, both of them invading the personal spaces of each other, "I love you. Do you understand?" he said quietly, his eyes willing her to understand as he discreetly handed her the needle._

_"Yes."_

Shaking her head to rid herself of the flashback, she entered the mansion, still the same eerie place, with all the furniture covered in white sheets and bare walls.

"Where do you want to set up?" she asked, her voice hushed, biting her lip as her voice echoed through the empty house.

He pointed towards a long dark corridor, and Felicity sighed as she and Diggle followed Oliver, the flashlight on her phone giving them sufficient light. Climbing down a flight of twisting stairs, Oliver caught her elbow as she almost fell; she totally blamed her four-inch wedges, not her lack of co-ordination skills.

She winced realizing that Oliver and Diggle had smiles on their faces, definitely implying that she had said the last part of the sentence out loud.

Flipping on a switch, Felicity blinked her eyes rapidly, trying to adjust to the brightness as the three of them stood in a large room, similar to the foundry but at least three times bigger.

"What is this place?" Diggle asked, looking around the empty room, his question directed towards Oliver.

"This used to be my private gym, before… the island," he paused for a second before he continued, "After I came back, I had everything removed, because I was using the foundry more often."

"You never had a treadmill in the foundry," Felicity muttered, "And why can't you use a regular gym like regular people?"

He grinned, "I never used the treadmill, so I gave it away," he said shrugging, I had all my equipment given away actually-"

"Except for the salmon ladder and the training dummies," Felicity said, finishing his sentence.

"We need to hire a rental van to transport everything from there to here," Diggle said, "It's going to take at least a day."

Oliver nodded his head, "Felicity do you have a connection here?" he asked, pointing to her tablet, "We need to get this place up and running in two days tops."

"The WiFi signal is pretty weak here. You bring all my babies here and I can start the security protocols in an hour."

"Right, me and Dig will go back to the foundry to get all the computers that haven't been broken," he said, his mouth twitching in amusement when she winced at his words, "Stay here."

Her eyes widened in surprise, "What! I don't want to be left alone here!" she exclaimed, looking at the cold, empty room, "What if somebody died under this place?"

Oliver rolled his eyes at her dramatics, "My room is still as it is, you can stay there," he said impatiently as he cupped her elbow, leading her out of his underground private gym now turned secret lair.

Pushing the door of his room open, he turned to her, his expression soft, "You can lock the door if you want to, but nobody is going to come here. I'll see you later," he said as he closed the large mahogany double doors behind him.

Swallowing nervously, she took in her surroundings, a bit surprised that Oliver still had water related items in his room, a model of a boat, the walls painted in a shade of blue, a nautical themed bedspread. She assumed that Oliver or at least Moira would have remodeled the place after the disaster that had happened.

She blushed, hesitantly going towards the bed, trailing a finger over the bed sheet, surprised that it wasn't dusty at all. Her eyes wandered around the room, noticing that the place was still impeccably clean. Removing her wedges, she sat on the bed, sighing at how soft it was, leaning back against the equally soft and fluffy pillows.

* * *

Exactly fort-five minutes later, Oliver knocked on the door once before he entered his room and stopped short, only to see Felicity fast asleep on his bed, still clutching the tablet. Something primal stirred inside him, seeing her so relaxed, and sprawled on his bed, her skirt hitched upwards and showing more skin that necessary as she shifted in her sleep.

Flexing his fingers tightly, he moved towards her, his mind protesting but his body disagreeing, as he gently brushed her blonde curls away from her face. She made a contented noise, somewhere in between a purr and a mewl and Oliver was suddenly assaulted with the image of Felicity underneath him, naked and arching her back as she pressed closer to him, making the same noise but much more louder in intensity.

Cursing softly in Russian, he slipped out of the room, before he could do anything foolish and joined Diggle downstairs, helping him set up the things that they had salvaged from the Foundry.

* * *

**Thoughts? None of you guys wanted this to be a one-shot, so I'm planning to make this a full length one. I'm actually supposed to be studying for a Biochemistry exam, but my muse just wouldn't let me study with all this going on in inside my head:)**

**I'd love you hear your thought, remember, more reviews=faster updates!**

**Stay safe,**

**CB**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back! And a virtual cookie to all those who reviewed/favorited/followed this story! I had no idea that you guys would like it so much.:)**

**One more thing, a reviewer said that Oliver and Felicity are moving too fast, but I feel they're just going with the flow!**

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave a review:)**

* * *

"Sorry I fell asleep," Felicity said, as she tied her hair up in a loose bun, "I guess the bed was really comfortable, I think the sheets were Egyptian cotton or something and don't even get me started on the thread-count."

Diggle gave her a faint smile, "Oliver should be back soon, he's gone to the Foundry to get the remaining things we've managed to salvage."

"How bad is it?" she asked, as she looked at the one monitor that was still intact with the exception of a small crack on the corner of the screen, "Did you manage to get the wires?"

Diggle pointed at a blue plastic bag, "Whatever we could find," he said, laying the training mats on the floor, "We'll definitely need to buy a few more stuff though."

Felicity nodded her head absently as she connected the wires behind the main computer, pleased that she had at least the basic equipment necessary. She needed to destroy all the electronic evidence that the basement of the hottest club in Starling City was the lair of the vigilante.

She frowned, her arm not reaching to plug in a yellow wire behind the desktop, glancing around discreetly, noticing that Diggle was busy setting up the dummy, she hitched the grey pencil-skirt slightly, going down on her knees as she tried to plug in the wire.

"What…are you doing?"

She jumped, smacking her head at the underside of the table, as Oliver's voice sounded from behind her.

"I'm trying to plug this damn wire in," she muttered, trying again for what felt like the tenth time as it finally fit into the socket.

Wriggling out from under the table, she stood up, her cheeks flushed as she tried to pull down her skirt, as subtly as she could, not looking at his face.

Clearing his throat, he moved away from her, ignoring the fact that his jeans felt a bit tighter after the impromptu show that Felicity had given him. Unintentionally of course.

"I bought all the first aid supplies at the pharmacy," he announced, putting away everything methodically in a small shelf, "We don't have enough blood bags though."

Felicity winced at his words as she started up the computer, dreading the next time they would actually use a blood bag. Typing a few commands quickly, she synced the computer with her tablet, getting lost in the world of ones and zeroes as Oliver and Diggle set everything up behind her.

Half an hour later, her stomach grumbled, indicating that she hadn't had anything other than the coffee in the morning. Grabbing her purse and coat, she stood up, taking a moment to glance appreciatively at the two shirtless men sparring, "I'm going to get Chinese, what do you guys want?"

They stopped as soon as they heard her voice, both Oliver and Diggle sharing a silent conversation, as they looked at each other, "We'll come with you," Oliver said as he took a large gulp of water from the bottle, Diggle nodding his head in agreement.

Felicity started to protest, but kept quiet, at the look on Oliver's face. She understood that he wanted to keep her safe, but it was a local restaurant, and Slade was gone. Unless he had escaped the island. She shuddered as she thought of that, forcing her mind to think of other things.

"Let's go," Oliver murmured as he placed her hand in the small of her back. Felicity wondered why Oliver was suddenly all touchy-feely with her. It started with the two of them cuddling on her couch and his hand already had a torrid love affair with her shoulder and now his hand always ended up on her back as they walked; not that she was complaining or anything.

* * *

She gave a cry of surprise as she noticed her red Mini-Cooper parked in front along with the black town car, "How did my car get here?" she asked, already digging through her purse for her keys.

"It magically appeared out of thin air Felicity," Diggle deadpanned, grinning when she gave him a look, "Kidding, don't stare at me like that."

Rolling her eyes, she unlocked her car, getting inside the driver's seat as she looked at the two men expectantly, "Are you guys getting in or not?"

"We were planning to take the town car," Oliver explained, pointing at the black Bentley, "And I don't think we both would fit in."

"Just get in, stuff yourselves or something," she replied, rolling her eyes again, "I'm driving and dinner is on me."

Shrugging, Diggle got in at the back, trying to awkwardly adjust in the small space, leaving Oliver no choice but to sit in the front.

"How do you even fit here?" Oliver grumbled as he shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable.

"We're not all freakishly well-built giants like you and Diggle," Felicity retorted, "Sit still Oliver!" she exclaimed, glancing at him before shifting her concentration back on to the road in front, "And don't fidget, it's very distracting," she scolded, sharing a grin with Diggle from the rear-view mirror.

* * *

"The Board meeting is next week," Oliver announced, as she finished his call. They were back at the basement of the Queen mansion, Felicity insisting that she finished up the last security protocol before she went home. Diggle had taken a taxi from the restaurant back to his house while the both of them had come back here.

"They'll be seven of them, including Walter," Oliver continued, "He's trying to do his best to let Queen Consolidated not sink," he finished, sighing as he ran a hand through his hair.

"He's a good person," Felicity replied, her voice soft, as she smiled at him, "We should meet him sometime."

"I'm meeting him for lunch day after," Oliver said, "You can come."

Felicity nodded her head, "Did he tell you how bad the meeting is going to be? Not bad, bad, I mean. It's just that I try to stay positive and-"

"He said that the board was mostly in my favor but a few of them still have their doubts. If I do become the CEO, I'll have to speak to the QC publicist and try and increase QC's image to the public."

She nodded her head, letting the silence envelop them as they both got absorbed in their own thoughts.

"Shouldn't you be home?" Oliver asked as he glanced at his Rolex, which indicated that it was eleven forty-five in the night. It's pretty late."

"I want to ask you something," she blurted out, flushing slightly as Oliver looked at her, surprised at her sudden outburst.

He tilted his head, indicating that she continue and Felicity started speaking, before she could chicken out and change her mind, "Did you mean it?" she whispered, standing in front of him, "That night when we were here?" There was only a foot's distance between them, and she swallowed nervously, as she noticed the way Oliver closed his eyes at her question.

"I…"

She shook her head, "Doesn't matter, you don't have to answer that question, it was a stupid one anyway-"

"Felicity."

She stopped immediately, noticing the way he stepped closer to her, their noses almost touching as she stared up at him.

"I did."

She let out a breath of air she didn't realize that she had been holding, nodding her head, disappointed that he wasn't going to kiss her. Stepping away from him, Oliver immediately felt the lack of warmth as she started walking away from him.

Making a rash decision, he caught her wrist and pulled her towards him, leaning his forehead against hers, "Will you stay the night here?" he asked, feeling vulnerable and insecure as he waited for her answer.

"Okay," she whispered, taking a hold of his hand, smiling softly at him as he lead her upstairs towards his bedroom.

* * *

Giving her one of his t-shirts, he stepped into the bathroom, giving her the privacy to change in his room. Once inside, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to not think of a stripping Felicity just behind the door.

Biting her lip, Felicity toed of her wedges before placing them neatly near one of the cupboards, un-tucking her blouse from the skirt at the same time. She hesitated, debating if she should remove her bra, it was very uncomfortable to sleep with. Hearing Oliver close the tap in the bathroom, she quickly unclipped the black bra, placing it neatly above her folded skirt and blouse, before slipping on the t-shirt that Oliver had given her.

It came to her mid thigh and it was extremely comfortable and it smelled like Oliver, she realized, a unique scent of leather and just him.

She got under the covers, placing her rubber-band on the bedside table behind her as she combed her hair with her fingers. The door of the bathroom opened and she gaped, looking at Oliver as he rubbed his face with a towel, standing at the bathroom entrance in nothing but grey sweatpants that hung dangerously low on his hips.

Oliver smirked at her, as he closed the bathroom door behind him, "Everything okay Felicity?"

"What? Yeah, no, I mean, yes. I'm fine," she babbled, focusing her attention back to her tablet, as she tried not to blush, "What are you doing?" she asked in confusion as he grabbed a pillow from the space next to her and placed it on the couch which was near the windows.

"I'm making my bed," he said, looking at her with his eye-brows raised. He wanted to sleep next to her, but he knew it would be pushing it too far, not knowing what her response would be.

"Get in here Mr. Queen," she ordered, a small smile on her face as she patted the space next to her, a little surprised at her own boldness, "We're both grown adults."

Grinning at her, he put the pillow back in its place as he slid under the covers with her; the gesture intimate and yet oddly comfortable. Propping himself on one hand, he looked at her; she was engrossed in whatever she was reading on her tablet and he found it adorable the way her glasses kept slipping down her nose and the way she impatiently pushed it back.

He snatched the tablet away from her, ignoring her protests as he placed it on his side of the bedside table, "You need sleep," he told her, his voice firm.

"I need my tablet back," she retorted, trying to reach for her tablet, but Oliver tickled her and she collapsed in laughter, her entire body a weak spot for tickling.

"No, Oliver…aaah, stop!" she exclaimed, trying to get in words through her laughter, "I'll sleep…I promise!"

Only when he had stopped did they notice their compromising position, he was lying between her legs on top of her, Felicity breathing heavily as she looked at him with wide eyes, her glasses long forgotten.

Oliver nearly groaned when he saw her looking his lips, trying very hard to keep his self-control. Placing a chaste kiss in her forehead, he lingered there and rolled off her, both of them staring at each other, the only source of light being the moon.

"I'm not going to kiss you now Felicity," he said softly as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek softly, "I'm going to take you out on a proper date, somewhere fancy and then-"

"And then you'll kiss me," she ended it, smiling at him as she snuggled into him, "Good night Oliver."

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pressed a soft kiss to her hair as he murmured back, "Sweet dreams Felicity."

* * *

**Did you guys like it? Leave a review with your thoughts:) I'd love to know what you think!**

**Stay safe,**

**CB**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm alive, I swear. Life has been pretty hectic with my finals, plus it's Ramadan for me right now, so I'm going to be a bit busy this month. For all those of you who don't know, Ramadan is the holy month for Muslims:)**

**Anyway, please review, I really appreciate it! Plus, the link to Felicity's dress is on my Polyvore, I'm under the same account name. If you're not on Polyvore, there's a link to the dress on my profile page.**

**Enjoy:)**

* * *

_**Previously:**_

_**"I'm not going to kiss you now Felicity," he said softly as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, caressing her cheek softly, "I'm going to take you out on a proper date, somewhere fancy and then-"**_

_**"And then you'll kiss me," she ended it, smiling at him as she snuggled into him, "Good night Oliver."**_

_**Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pressed a soft kiss to her hair as he murmured back, "Sweet dreams Felicity."**_

* * *

"Dig, he should be coming on to the right alley in ten minutes," Felicity spoke into her Bluetooth, as she quickly typed a few commands on her tablet. She was sitting inside a black van a few miles outside Starling City, considering the fact that their latest scumbag, a lesser version of Count Vertigo was making his drug production in a warehouse outside the city.

"Oliver, he's …wait a minute," she muttered, her brow furrowed in confusion, "That can't be possible, he's-"

"Talk to me Felicity!" Oliver commanded, still perched on the rooftop of a building nearby, "Felicity?"

"I'm afraid the blonde is a little indisposed right now Mr. Hood," Peter Millis whispered, as he looked at Felicity who was unconscious and slumped in a chair in front of him, "And she's not going to wake up until you leave me and my…hobby alone."

Both Diggle and Oliver tensed, as they made a mutual decision to surround the van, oblivious to the man inside it. Nodding his head at Diggle, Oliver kicked the door open, his arrow aimed at the lunatic as Diggle trained his gun on him, "Let her go Millis," Oliver growled, glancing at the still unconscious Felicity, feeling the worst case of déjà vu.

"I'll inject her with a higher dose if that gun and arrow are still trained on me," he threatened, "And this one is much more lethal than Vertigo-"

Before he could finish, Peter Millis was dead.

The coroner's report was one gunshot wound to the head and three arrows sticking out of the heart.

* * *

Blinking her eyes slowly, Felicity struggled to sit up, her head throbbing as she tried to see where her glasses where.

Gradually her vision cleared, as she saw Oliver wordlessly hand her the glasses. She was in Oliver's room and she saw Diggle approach her with a small smile on his face, "You've been out for two days Felicity," he said as he filled a cup of water and handed it to her, "You flat lined twice," he ended, the smile vanishing from his face as he and Oliver both remembered what had happened.

"I feel fine," she said, her voice hoarse, "What was I injected with?" She turned her attention to Oliver who was still looking grim, "Oliver?"

"Something worse than Vertigo," he said gruffly, not making eye-contact with her, "We flushed the drug out of your system."

"Right," she mumbled, slightly hurt by the way he was acting, "I feel fine anyway, so…thanks," she whispered, both Diggle and Oliver nodding their heads.

* * *

"Feeling better Felicity?" Diggle asked as she entered the new lair, it had been a week of recuperation, at both Oliver and Diggle's insistence, and she allowed herself that. But after one week of being cooped up in Oliver's bedroom, she had had enough. He had just come to see her once, barely even entering the room as he asked her how she was feeling and as soon as she had answered, he had left.

So now she was an angry woman on a mission. To find out what Oliver Queen's problem was.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded as she saw him sharpening his bows, barely acknowledging her presence.

"You've barely spoken two words to me the entire week and I'm pretty damn sure that it isn't my fault! So what's the problem?"

Diggle looked at the two of them with raised eyebrows, "Felicity, I think you should calm-"

"Do not interrupt me right now John Diggle!" she said, as she gave him a glare, "I-"

All three of them froze, hearing a noise outside, which sounded suspiciously like someone walking upstairs, the footfalls clearly heard.

Removing the safety of his gun, Diggle stood next to Oliver who had his bow ready, as the door slowly opened, both of them standing in front of Felicity, acting as her shield.

"Whoa! I come in peace! Don't shoot!"

"ROY?" Felicity questioned, as she pushed the two men aside to hug him, "I'm so glad you're okay!" she whispered, giving him a tearful smile, "Where have you been?"

"Let him breathe Felicity," Oliver said, as she let go of Roy, who was blushing slightly, "I missed you too Blondie."

"Thea's gone," he blurted out, looking at Oliver, "She never got on that train."

"What? That's not possible…where is she?" Oliver growled, panic rising in his chest, "Where is she Roy?"

"I don't know," Roy replied, looking miserable, "Felicity, do you think-"

"Already on it," she said, typing furiously, she blinked quickly, her eyes trying to adjust to the sudden brightness of the computer screen after a week, "Roy's right, she didn't get on the train. There's no one registered under the name Thea Queen."

"Check her credit card transactions," Oliver ordered, as he stood behind her, a feeling of dread erupting in him.

Nodding, she started typing again, her fingers flying over the keyboard, "Nothing for the past three weeks, I'm sorry Oliver, I've tried everything I could."

"Roy, think, did Thea say anything to you? Before you left? Any indication to where she was going?" Diggle asked calmly, placing a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.

"She left me a note, I think she left after she saw my bow and arrow."

There was silence in the lair as the three of them digested this information.

"We'll find her Roy, don't worry," Felicity said as she sat down on the couch next to him, "She's going to be okay, I promise," she said, wrapping an arm around him.

Nodding his head, he gave her a small smile as he muttered a thank you to her, "Do you think I can re-start my training?" he asked, looking at Diggle and Oliver.

Diggle nodded his head, motioning him to come over to the training mats as Oliver walked back to Felicity, where she was seated at her usual place, in front of her computers.

"I'm running facial recognition in all airports, train stations and bus stops in both Starling and Central City. But it's going to take some time," she said quietly.

He nodded his head as she spoke, "Can I speak to you for a minute?" he asked, "In private?"

"Sure," she said as she walked out of the lair, Oliver following close behind her. She went out towards the backyard, where she sat down on one of the chairs, looking at the now slightly overgrown grass that spanned a few acres of the Queen mansion.

"What's wrong Oliver?" she asked quietly, as he sat down next to her, keeping a respectable distance between them. She sighed internally, she could literally predict what he was going to say next.

"It's too dangerous for you."

She sighed in exasperation, "We've been through this before Oliver, it's my life, my choice."

"Yeah well, you almost died Felicity!" he yelled, "Do you think it was easy for me to see you flat line?"

Her temper flared, "I get that I almost died, but I'm fine now. I don't need to be protected Oliver, I'm a grown woman," she said, her voice even.

"No you don't understand Felicity, I can't give you the life that you want, everyone close to me gets hurt or dies and I don't want that for you."

"Ugh! You're so frustrating Oliver!" she exclaimed, pushing her glasses up her nose, "You can't tell me what to do with my life. I made this choice."

She lowered her voice, "You told me you loved me. Don't you want to give us a chance?" she asked, her voice vulnerable.

He closed his eyes at her admission, he so badly wanted to give them a chance, but what if next time something worse happened?

"Me and Diggle or Roy cannot always protect you Felicity," he said, wiping away a tear that had fallen, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," she said, pulling away from him as she stood up, wiping her eyes, "So what now? Do you want me to stop working for you? On team Arrow? Do I go back to being an IT geek?"

"I-"

She cut him off, "I'll quit team Arrow as soon as we find Thea," she said firmly, "And then I'll be gone."

He sighed, "I need you in my life Felicity," he said, holding her wrist gently, "I can't do this without you."

"What are you saying Oliver? First you say you don't want me and now-"

"I don't want you to get hurt," he said, "You and I both know why I'm saying this."

She nodded, Oliver wanted her to lead a life without him. On a personal and social level. Not a business one.

"Are we okay?" he asked her, his voice betraying the hesitant look in his eyes.

She nodded, giving him a quick smile, "We'll always be okay Oliver."

* * *

Exactly three days later, Felicity came downstairs to the lair, "I've got an interview at Kord industries in one hour. I'm going to finish these searches in ten minutes and then I need to go," she said as she rushed past the three shirtless men who were training.

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" Roy asked in confusion as he sling a towel around his neck.

She rolled her eyes, looking at the bright orange top and black skirt complete with her panda flats, "They won't even let me enter the building wearing these, considering I'm applying for the head of R&D at Kord Industries."

"That great news Felicity," Oliver told her, a sincere smile on his face. She smiled back, blue eyes meeting blue and for a moment it was as if only the two of them existed in the room, oblivious to Roy and Diggle.

Diggle cleared his throat, "Didn't you need to leave Felicity?"

Shaking her head mentally, she tried not to blush as she turned back to her computer screen, typing the last command quickly before she rushed into the locker room, considering that their new lair had been Oliver's previous gym.

She quickly slipped on a purple sleeveless dress that had a similar color belt, cinched at the waist. She had bought it specifically for this interview, plus she couldn't resist buying the zebra striped four inch heels that had complemented the dress perfectly.

She had left her hair down for the interview but had not bothered with contact lenses. She had learnt early in life that people took you more seriously and respected you if you wore glasses.

Walking out of the room, her heels making a clacking sound against the quiet lair, she opened her purse and took out her compact, using the mirror to apply a dark shade of red lipstick. She smirked, looking at all the three men staring at her, unknown to them that she could see their reflection through the small mirror.

She swallowed quickly, noticing Oliver's gaze on her. Biting her lip, she closed the compact, and faced the three of them, an expectant look on her face, "Do I look professional enough for the interview?"

"I'd lose the earrings if I wear you," Roy smirked, making a dig at her cure panda earrings.

"Okay, first of all, I didn't know how observant you are, and second, my hair's covering them, so no one is going to know."

Glancing at her watch, she stuffed her previous clothes into her bag as she locked her tablet, "Wish me luck you guys," she exclaimed as she walked out of the lair, waving at the three of them.

"You okay man?" Diggle asked Oliver who was staring at the door after Felicity had left. He knew what had happened between them and chose wisely not to comment, knowing fully well that Oliver would take his own sweet time to realize that Felicity was the one for him.

"Fine," he ground out, "I need to start on my speech," he said, "The board meeting is tomorrow."

"You ready to take back Queen Consolidated?" Roy asked, "Become the reluctant CEO again?"

Oliver glared at him, Roy putting up his hands in defense, "It was Felicity's words, not mine."

* * *

"Felicity Smoak?" the elderly receptionist called out, "Mr. Garrett will see you now."

Smoothening out her dress, she took a deep breath as she knocked on the door before entering.

Daniel Garrett was not what she was expecting as the Supervising Manager of Kord Industries Research and Development Division. For starters, he was young, most probably her age and definitely attractive enough to be a GQ model.

"Everything okay Miss Smoak?" the man asked, giving her a slight smirk as she had frozen for a minute at the doorway, "I don't bite, I promise."

Swallowing nervously, she gave him a small smile, "Sorry, I guess I just kinda…Uhh…spaced out for a bit."

He smiled widely, showing her his perfect set of pearly whites, "Not an issue, this interview is basically just a regular procedure. The job is yours anyway."

"Thank you," she said, biting her lip as he scanned her résumé, she had deleted the part where she had been Oliver's EA, even if it had been for almost a year.

"Well, congratulations Miss Smoak, you are now Head of R&D of Kord Industries," he said as he shook her hand, "Welcome aboard."

"Please call me Felicity, Miss Smoak reminds me of my mother," she said, "Not that you think I'm my mother," she babbled, eyes widening, "Please ignore everything I just said."

He laughed, "It's refreshing to see someone of your personality Felicity," he said, "I'll tell my secretary Rosa to show you to your office."

Glancing around at the spacious office, she dumped her purse on the large black swivel chair as she switched on the laptop, it was a state of the art one, not yet out of the market and she was eager to use it.

* * *

"You've been working for the past five hours non-stop," a voice said, startling her. she saw Daniel Garrett leaning against the doorway, the smirk still in place, "And I'm guessing you didn't notice the time."

She glanced at her watch, which indicated that it was nearly nine pm, "Crap. I didn't know it was so late," she exclaimed as she hurried to power down the laptop, impatiently pushing her glasses up her nose.

Grabbing her bag, she blinked once, seeing Daniel Garrett holding out her grey coat, "Thank you Mr. Garrett," she mumbled, hoping that he wouldn't see the faint blush on her cheeks.

"Please, call me Daniel," he insisted, as she buttoned up her coat, "Do you want to grab some dinner? I'm pretty sure you haven't eaten anything since lunch," he asked casually.

She bit her lip, "I would love too, but maybe some other time, I kinda have to be somewhere right now," she said, thinking of Roy, Diggle and Oliver at the Queen Mansion.

He nodded his head, his disappointment clearly shown, "Boyfriend?"

She laughed, "Nothing of that sort," she said lightly, "Rain check?"

"Sure," he said as he held the door open for her, "Goodnight Felicity."

"'Night Daniel."

* * *

Humming softly to herself, she entered the basement, her heels in one hand as the three of them looked at her, "I got the job," she said, her excitement clearly shown on her face as Roy high-fived her, "Nice work Blondie."

She looked at him in mock exasperation, "I told you not to call me that," she said, as she punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Felicity I need you to look into this guy," Oliver cut in, pointing to one of the names on the list, "We need to find him tonight."

"On it," she replied, tying up her hair in a loose bun as she started typing. Oliver was momentarily assaulted with a quick whiff of her strawberry shampoo, considering the fact that he was standing directly behind her. Growling to himself, he walked towards the glass case holding his suit, trying to remove the scent of Felicity's shampoo from his mind.

* * *

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**To all those who celebrate it, Ramadan Kareem and to those who don't have a nice day!**

**Stay safe,**

**CB**


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